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Questions on sauce storage.

cayenneman

cayenneman

Hey all.  New to the forum here so if I ask a question thats been asked a thousand times I apologize.  You can redirect me to the proper thread.  Anyway, I have some 5oz woozy bottles with shakers and plastic lids.  I wanted to make some pepper jalapeño and habanero pepper sauces with some peppers a friend gave me and give them away as post-Christmas gifts.  Im reading various things on storage.  The recipes I will use include the following ingredients.
 
Habanero
  • 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1/2cup peeled, roughly chopped carrot (you'll need 1 medium carrot)
  • 1/2cup roughly chopped white onion (you'll need about half of a small onion)
  • 12medium (about 5 ounces)orange habanero chiles, stemmed
  • 1cup apple cider vinegar
  • About 2teaspoons Salt
  • 1/4teaspoon Sugar
Jalapeno
12 fresh jalapenos
1 med onion
2 cups distilled vinegar
1 cup water
2 garlic cloves
salt
lime juice
 
So my question is how to store them after Ive made them.  Can they be stored at room temp until they are opened? After that do they need to be refrigerated?  I will cook them and pour into the woozy bottles, but wanted to know about storage and handling after that.  Thanks guys and cheers!
Update...I just read the Hot Sauce 101 thread.  Anyone can still leave any advice they'd like to on this thread.  Thanks.
 
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cayenneman said:
Would this be good for checking ph levels?
 
http://www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-TDS-EZ-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B002C0A7ZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419796806&sr=8-1&keywords=digital+ph+meter
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Provided you test at 77 degrees (f) then that meter should be fine.  If you want temperature compensation step up to TDS-3.  As has been stated, with the amount of vinegar you have going in those recipes you should be fine for pH - it's just best to be safe is all ;)   And good on you for reading the hot sauce thread!  Lots of great info here.
 
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both recipes look like they have a good amount of vinegar. 
 
For storage- if the processes outlined in Making Hot Sauce 101 are followed, the bottles can be stored at room temp, keeping out of sunlight will help preserve color, and just for safety, refrigerate after opening if you are unsure or have any question about the pH levels.
 
For both of those recipes, as they are posted, they will not make much volume of sauce.  The habanero one might make 2 bottles, the jalapeno might make 3-4 bottles.  Hopefully you have enough chiles to multiply the recipe to the number of bottles you want.  Jalapenos and Habaneros should be available at local stores this time of year...even in Kentucky.  ;)
 
:lol:
 
:welcome: and have fun!
 
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SmokenFire said:
Provided you test at 77 degrees (f) then that meter should be fine.  If you want temperature compensation step up to TDS-3.
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The TDS-3 looks affordable. What do you mean by temperature compensation? You can check at any temperature or higher temps or ...? Thanks!
Roguejim said:
That seems like a lot of vinegar in the second recipe, plus with the addition of lime juice.  I'd probably start with 3/4-1C. vinegar, and taste-test the sauce before adding more.
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Thanks for the advice!
salsalady said:
 
For both of those recipes, as they are posted, they will not make much volume of sauce.  The habanero one might make 2 bottles, the jalapeno might make 3-4 bottles. 
 
:welcome: and have fun!
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Thanks for the heads up. I will multiply my recipe. If I'd gone to all that effort for two bottles I'd have been pi$$ed!
 
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I don't want to derail this conversation, nor start an argument, but the subject of pH meters came up.  The general consensus seems to be that meters are superior to test strips.  I believe salsalady has said as much.  The resident THP ex-biochemist, Dr. Carter, on the other hand, had this to say about test strips.
 
"They work fine for all aqueous solutions and we used them a great deal in the lab."  He was referring to these particular strips manufactured by Merk in Germany.
http://cookingdistrict.com/store/seac.nsf/products/6C2EC3A000D27EBF85257C8300760609?opendocument
 
I'll be using strips when my fermented sauces are ready.
 
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Test strips are definitely better than nothing at all.  Not everyone can get a good meter and the solutions that go with it, so $9.99 for test trips is a huge step in the right direction.  My cautions are- if a sauce is in a marginal range (3.5-4.0) I would not rely on test strips to make a food safety determination.  If the sauce is reading below 3.5, that's a good range and will give the sauce maker some confidence in the safety of their sauce.  My other concern with using test strips in a sauce...the ingredients of the sauce can discolor the test strip and the strip may not show the actual color of the test.  As long as people are aware, then test strips can be an affordable and very helpful tool. 
 
cayenneman said:
The TDS-3 looks affordable. What do you mean by temperature compensation? You can check at any temperature or higher temps or ...? Thanks!

Thanks for the advice!

Thanks for the heads up. I will multiply my recipe. If I'd gone to all that effort for two bottles I'd have been pi$$ed!
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I hear you about working up a sauce and ending up with 1 cup of sauce!  That would of been a real pisser~~~
 
For the meter- some pH meters do not work on hot/heated product.  They have a temperature range, such as not over 100F or something.  So when working with a sauce and cooking it down, and you want to check the pH....you can't just scoop some boiling sauce out of the pot and do a pH test.  Some more expensive meters will work with heated sauce, but most entry level meters will not work in the heated sauce.  The sauce must be cooled before being tested. 
 
One trick is to have a small ceramic or SS cup in the freezer (think of the little cups tarter sauce, horseradish etc, gets served in at restaurants).  You can put a teaspoon of sauce into the cold cup, the sauce will cool quicky and a pH test can be done quickly without putting a bit of sauce in the refer....waiting for it to cool down enough to use a pH meter.....;)
 
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